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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. board — to get on
  4. land — a country
  5. ground — crushed
  6. last — finally
  7. land — to come down
  8. charge — a price
  9. last — final
  10. charge — in control
  11. land — ground
  12. tear — from crying
  13. last — to go on
  14. stock — shares
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. ground — a position
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. stock — goods
  21. charge — electricity
  22. tear — to rip
  23. ground — the earth
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com